Official AC Thread

sryme · Post by **sryme** » 28 Sep 2005, 13:26

Try SwedishEngineering.com -- I usually get my OEM parts from them much cheaper than the dealer.

Let me know how it works for you -- I think my problem is the same as yours.

tomservo · Post by **tomservo** » 28 Sep 2005, 21:42

I just e-mailed them, hopefully I'll hear back tomorrow. The problem I was having is that none of the knobs would do anything, sometimes it wouldn't blow at all, or heat, or AC, whatever it felt like. But the Volvo dealership hear wants ~$920 for a new unit.

tomservo · Post by **tomservo** » 29 Sep 2005, 11:57

Swedish engneering just quoted me 670 new and ~250 used with a 90 day warrenty. Screw the local shop. I'm going to call them soon, thank you so much syrme!

tomservo · Post by **tomservo** » 04 Oct 2005, 21:17

Well I got the unit today, which I thought was pretty fast, and installed it in like 1 min. and everything works great. A/C is cold, all vents are good. I am so happy. Plus it was relativly cheap. Yeah! Thanks again!

sryme · Post by **sryme** » 05 Oct 2005, 07:20

Tomservo -- great. I've always liked working with them - always a pleasurable experience. Even my mechanic started using them too for the stuff I can't fix.

turn7 · Post by **turn7** » 03 Jun 2006, 12:12

My 2000 S70 is experiencing the same symptoms. The compressor just cuts off and won't come back on until you turn it off for 1-5 minutes. Then it blows cold for a while and then samething all over again.

I have also noticed a whistling sound when the compressor cuts off like a pressure bleed-down type noise. The freon level is staying constant and is not leaking out. I tried to jumper the low pressure sensor thinking that maybe it was getting stuck but, that didn't help.

Watching the pressure gauge I have connected to it when checking the freon indicates that when the pressure gets low, the low pressure switch activates and stops the compressor but, the high pressure switch never activates causing the compressor to come back on.

Anybody know where the high pressure switch is?

utvol1984 · Post by **utvol1984** » 08 Jun 2006, 19:34

Need advice from those of you who have dealt with this before. I have been having CONSTANT problems with the electronic climate control on my 93 850GLT. Every time I turn it on manually I get the flashing "AC Off" and "Recirc" lights for 20 seconds. The compressor seems to cycle on properly and I can feel a little cool air from the center vents and defrost vents only. Until recently I could turn the fan on manually and it would blow cold air out the center and defrost vents only. Now the fan won't blow at all. I have pulled codes on the ECM several times and have gotten nearly every conceivable code! It's maddening... Anyway, I seem to consistently get the 418 code meaning "No control signal to blower fan power stage" as well as codes 132, 134, 413 and 416 all of which have to do with the driver and passenger side air duct temperature sensors and fans. I have had these stupid things out two or three times to clean them etc. Hasn't seemed to help at all.

Anyway, I thought my control panel might be bad so I got a used one from another 93 850GLT - no improvement - most recently I even bought a NEW one for $650!!! I tried it this evening - same flashing lights and crapola AC system. The only thing I can think of now is that (as one of the threads on this site alludes to) the fan motor is pulling too much current which is tripping the guard circuit in the ECC control module. This (obviously) would mean replacing the fan motor at the least. If I do that I think I'd be foolish not to replace the fan motor resistor while I have the thing torn down.

Bottom line - what do you guys/ladies think? Is my next logical step replacing the fan? I base this on the fact that I continue to get the 418 "no control signal to blower fan power stage" I love the car in every other respect but this AC thing is driving me crazy! Thanks in advance for any insight you may have.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 08 Jun 2006, 20:47

If you're going to be throwing parts at it anyway, replace the resistor first (cheaper) and see what happens. I had the same thing (almost) in our '94 850 we used to own and replacing the blower motor ended up fixing it for good. By the way, I'm in KNoxville and a UT grad school graduate! Go Vols!

utvol1984 · Post by **utvol1984** » 09 Jun 2006, 09:54

Thanks so much madeinjapan. The fact that you resolved what seems like virtually the same problem by addressing the fan resistor and motor makes me a lot more comfortable dropping more coin on the problem. I bought the new ECC dash controller unit through FCP Groton and they did say I could return it with a restocking fee if I didn't use it. I shipped the original unit to an outfit in Massachusetts that works on BMW ECC controllers. They are looking it over for me free as a means of helping them to see if they want to make similar service for Volvo units part of their services. Right now I'm running the unit out of a second 93 850GLT that I recently parted out.

I totally agree with you about minimizing the cost but just getting to the fan motor resistor is a bit of an undertaking. I may bite the bullet and replace the resistor and the fan/fan motor assembly all at the same time. If I end up returning the new ECC unit I could afford it easily!

Last, it's great to run across another Tennessee Volunteer! As my screen-name indicates, I graduated undergrad in Knoxville in 84. Would love to have gone back there for grad school but since the Army was footing the bill, I had to go where they said which was Baylor in Texas. Hope Coach Fulmer can get us back on track this fall - I can't WAIT till Sep 2 when we kick off against the Golden Bears of California. Go Vols!!!

turn7 · Post by **turn7** » 10 Jun 2006, 07:44

When I said "same symptoms", I was speaking of the way the air just cuts off but, I am not experiencing the flashing climate control lights. Those are operating normal.

Any advice on where I might start to look? I was having some tires put on at the local Firestone place and paid for the A/C checkup deal they had going on. The guy said it was the clutch coil. Does that sound right? He said that he put a test light on the compressor power wire and it was getting power but, the clutch wasn't activating. That is why he said it was bad. However, it seems weird that the clutch works sporadically to me and that shouldn't be the problem. An electromagnetic clutch should either always work or never work in principle. Am I over analysising this and it could be the compressor coil?

turn7 wrote:My 2000 S70 is experiencing the same symptoms. The compressor just cuts off and won't come back on until you turn it off for 1-5 minutes. Then it blows cold for a while and then samething all over again.

I have also noticed a whistling sound when the compressor cuts off like a pressure bleed-down type noise. The freon level is staying constant and is not leaking out. I tried to jumper the low pressure sensor thinking that maybe it was getting stuck but, that didn't help.

Watching the pressure gauge I have connected to it when checking the freon indicates that when the pressure gets low, the low pressure switch activates and stops the compressor but, the high pressure switch never activates causing the compressor to come back on.

Anybody know where the high pressure switch is?

Official AC Thread

Where to get a Control Unit